Carinthia

Austria’s southernmost province, Carinthia fosters a cuisine notable for its generally light, summery freshness. The delicious fragrance of herbs blends ideally with the taste of freshly-caught fish – pike perch and catfish from the two large lakes Wörther See and Millstätter See, or trout from the countless mountain streams.

A typical Carinthian speciality is the soup known as ”Saure Suppe”, which is traditionally served at country fairs and folklore events during the summer months. The original recipe for this soup calls for several different kinds of meat and many herbs, along with sweet and soured cream. Its unique flavour comes from fennel and aniseed, its characteristic yellow colour from saffron.

Hunting lends the Carinthian cuisine an added diversity: venison, chamois and many other kinds of game are traditionally served with fresh cranberries (picked on the higher pastures of the Carinthian mountains), chanterelles and ceps from the forests, and full-bodied red wine – and the pleasure of this culinary opulence enhanced by the inviting ambience of a typical Carinthian country inn.

Carinthia’s best-known dish is Kasnudel, however. The pasta dough is rolled flat, fashioned into fist-sized pockets and filled with a blend of various delicacies. The classical ”Kasnudel” contain curds and mint, but there are variants with other fillings – meat, or spinach, potatoes and mushrooms, or (in a sweet incarnation) prunes. Another type of Carinthian ”Nudel” is the ”Schlickkrapferl”, a smaller pastry pocket with a filling of offal and fresh herbs.

Recipe tip: Kärntner Kasnudeln

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